Blog Posts for CMU Journalism Classes

Women of CMU 8. Kara Agby

CMU senior, Kara Agby poses for a portrait in the Fabiano, Emmons and Woldt lobby on the campus of Central Michigan University, Friday, March 24, 2017. “Feminism is such a loaded word. Every person you ask will give a different answer and I think that is what makes it so unique. The whole movement is so unique. For me, when I think of feminism, I think of equality. I would say those words are nearly the same. I think of equality not only for women but the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, whoever you may be and whatever identity you hold, that is what feminism is about. It is about getting everyone on that equal playing field. It is about creating equality. I also think it about not putting other people down about what their feminism is. So, if I look at you and that is a different feminism then what I am acting through. It wouldn’t be feminism if I put you down for that. So being a role model for what that equality looks like is super important,” states Kara.

Say hello to our 8th #WomenofCMU Kara Agby. Kara is a Resident Assistant in Emmons Hall, she is a member of SAPA, works in the East Area Success Center, is a part of the homecoming committee with the Student Activities and Involvement, she is an academic orientation mentor, and a CMU campus ambassador.

SAPA is one of the most impactful experience for Kara. This is her second year, going on three, as a member of this organization.

“I cannot give SAPA enough credit as an organization. Not only for what they have done for me but, what they do for others. I never thought I would be part of a group that had such an impact on people and knowing I am a part of that blows my mind. It almost doesn’t seem real at all. Something that I have learned from SAPA and all the people here is that stories have such a big impact. I have really gained a passion and interest in people’s stories and really listening to where they come from and what made them who they are today. There is so much value in where people come from…Through SAPA and to be able to be that listening ear to people has changed my life in so many ways,” explains Kara.

There are so many ways you can impact our campus. Kara does this as a SAPA member, but also as an RA. She works with first-year students in helping them find personal growth and their identity. In addition, Kara gets the opportunity to be the first face people meet when they come to CMU for a tour or orientation and getting the chance to impact them from the ground up. Kara just glows when she talks about her passions and her roles as a mentor.

“As far as empowered women, I think being a role model is so important. As a woman living the past 21 years of my life, you go through certain things and everyone’s life events look so different, but it is being a role model to other women saying yes I can do this, I am doing this, and you can do it too. Through everything I have done, I have tried to act that way as well and to not put others down for what their process looks like,” Kara states.

Kara explains that it was the mentors she had that encouraged her to get involved in the organizations that she is in now. They saw something in her and now she is experiencing that same feeling seeing that growth and potential in the students she mentors. Empowerment is a circle, once you empower someone, they will empower someone and so forth. Kara is a role model and fits with my defined pillars of feminism: dignity, self-responsibility, empowerment, acting in kindness, and using one’s voice for a positive impact. Kara is correct in her statement that we all define feminism differently, but one thing is that each definition intersects in some shape or form. Thank you, Kara, for all that you do for this campus and our Chippewa community.

“It is so important (to recognize women). I actually think about this l the time because where we are at right now, we are already a repressed group. Which, it really shouldn’t be that way because if you look at all the things women are doing and really all the things women have done in the past, we are right up there. I think that it is so important to recognize women of today because we look very different from the past. There is a quote, ‘if we fail to recognize the past, history will repeat itself,’ and so I think it is important to honor where we have been but so important to look at where we are now and where we are going…we are capable of som much,” informs Kara.